We are inundated with artificial scents. From cologne and perfume, to underarm deodorant, to the body lotion you use and the clothes that smell like a dryer sheet, you can literally stack thousands of different chemical compounds on and around yourself every day. We are perfuming ourselves into sickness.
The desire to smell like anything other than what we smell like is fascinating. While no one appreciates the strong scent of body odour, an overly strong fragrance can be just as repulsive. It’s a good time to consider all of the products you are exposing your body and nose to and see if you can lessen the artificial ones.
Action – For almost every product we use, there is a scent-free version. These were made because people were suffering serious reactions to the scented products that have taken over our lives. Look for ways to use less of the scented ones and, if you wear perfume or cologne, give it a pass for a day. No one but you will notice, unless you typically wear too much because you can’t smell it anymore, and then everyone around you will be happy. Too much cologne or perfume is annoying to those who have to be close to you so make sure you aren’t subjecting them to it.
Steps – Buy unscented body products, especially body lotion. By slathering these all over, you are exposing the skin to a lot of chemicals. Many can be unhealthy and some may even be carcinogenic. Just because they have been approved for use doesn’t mean they are good for you.
Get rid of the strong-smelling soaps, shampoos, laundry detergents, and dryer sheets. All of these can be just as effective without the strong perfumes. When you start to notice all of the different smells that are layered both on and around you, it becomes clear why this could potentially be affecting your health.
Why It Makes You Feel Better – Anything that includes “fragrance” or “parfum” on the label can include any combination of thousands of different chemicals, many of which have been shown to trigger asthma, migraines, and allergies. Each product contains a wide variety of substances and when you layer multiple things together you have no idea how the chemicals will interact with each other. This is a major issue. One product might be okay, but mix it with something else and you may unknowingly create something toxic.
If you have any skin or breathing issues, look at everything you are using and see if you can minimize the number that contain fragrance as an ingredient. Opt for the unscented versions when possible. There needs to be more research done about long-term health effects, but in the meantime you can limit the amount you expose yourself to potentially harmful compounds.
Example – There are always alternatives. By going more natural, we are helping our own health and the health of the environment too. One example is musk in perfumes and colognes, which has been shown to be persistent in the environment and build up in the fatty tissues of aquatic organisms. It has also been measured in the sediment in the Great Lakes. This is one example of one compound that is having long-term consequences, and there are likely to be many more.
Be aware of the products you use and see how you can reduce the number of synthetic ones that are in your life. Don’t wait for the research to tell you that the products we thought were safe were in fact harming us all along.